For anyone who admires and appreciates the wisdom, intelligence and pride in the nation he helped found, a visit to Jefferson’s Rock in Harpers Ferry West Virginia is well worth the steep hike to get to it, the piece of the Appalachian Trial you can cover at the same time, and the beauty of the place Thomas Jefferson got on that rock to view…the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers several hundred feet below.

Now under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, which doesn’t seem to care much about it, the rock is actually a mass of shale rock on top of other very large masses of shale, one on top of each other.

When Thomas Jefferson was in town in 1783, long before he was President and when he was a mere 40 years old, the slab he stepped on for a better view of the surroundings was on a very narrow natural foundation. The slab was so narrow he could sway the rock back and forth with a slight push.

Weather and curiosity seekers cutting chunks from where Jefferson stood made it even thinner, so it became even more dangerous to be on or near it. Sometime in the late 1850s, the Army armory superintendent in Harpers Ferry ordered four stone pillars to be placed underneath the corners of the slab to keep it from moving, saying Jefferson Rock was “endangering the lives and properties of the villagers below.”.

Today, the slab is still there, the pillars under it are still there, and most likely daring young people still scale it to stand where Mr. Jefferson stood. However, falling off it means a swift fall straight down between treetops and hard rock before actually hitting any ground.

But it’s magnificent to see, if only to contemplate Jefferson’s admiration of natural beauty.

Jefferson Rock is along West Virginia’s portion of the Appalachian trail, a short distance further down the mountain from Harper Cemetery, the family burial grounds of the founder of this small town better known for the insurrection against the nation led by John Brown, a key reason for the onset of the Civil War.

The town is also at the precise spot where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet and flow together in what Jefferson described as “perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes of Nature.”

But that wasn’t enough for this lover of nature to say. He had to describe the Blue Ridge on the mountains and the beauty of the rivers below more precisely to be sure everyone appreciated it.

So he continued: “You stand on a very high point of land. On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain a hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Patowmac in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together against the mountain, rend it asunder and pass off to the sea.”

Still not enough to describe what he saw. The man who went on to become the third President wanted to let you know what it felt like for him to see this: He continued “The first glance of this scene hurries our senses into the opinion that this earth has been created in time, that the mountains were formed first, that the rivers began to flow afterwards, that in this place particularly they have been so dammed up by the Blue Ridge of mountains as to have formed an ocean which filled the whole valley; that, continuing to rise, they have at last broken over at this spot and have torn the mountain down from its summit to its base.”

The man has a way with words. He went on to write about the piles of rock, the marks of disruptions from riverbeds and how the result is so different from the forces of nature that caused it all. “It is as placid and delightful as that is wild and tremendous… , a small catch of smooth blue horizon, … inviting views, “from the riot and tumult roaring around….to the calm below.” This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic.”

Jefferson’s words, later written in the Notes on the State of Virginia (of which West Virginia was a part at the time) were published in 1785.

Access to Jefferson’s Rock is either down Washington St to Church street and up a trail and a few rocks to get to it, or from the Lower Town below St. Peter’s Catholic Church, up a steep flight of steps near the Civil War Museum to the steps by St. Peters and past the ruins of St. John’s Episcopal Church to the same rocks just below Jefferson’s rock.

Either way, it’s worth the walk.

While at that height, it’s only a short little hill to the family cemetery with stones dating back to the Revolution and still burials today. Many of the graves are tended, with fresh flowers or American flags, others are illegible. All the grounds are kept clean and benches invite prayer time and meditation.

A second stop to once again admire everything Jefferson described, a jaunt down all those rocky steps and a visit to the National Park Service historic sites before dinner and another walk up to the Upper Town and the Harper Valley Guest House.

Jefferson

Unlike flying, taking a train to destinations hours or days away is relaxing, enjoyable, peaceful and an opportunity to appreciate the natural and man-made wonders of the nation albeit at 80 miles an hour.  Like my recent trip to  Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Amtrak offers numerous opportunities around the country, but for us in the eastern states, there is so much to see, learn and enjoy within hours. Trips south from Newark Penn Station also offer some time for a visit to Washington DC’s magnificent Union Station and, without even leaving there, a view of the nation’s Capitol high on the hill.

But for me on this trip, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, the Jefferson Rock, and a closer look at the atrocity and stupid boldness of a murderer, John Brown, were the destination.

It also meant meeting some pretty wonderful people who make Harpers Ferry their home; a fantastic restaurateur whose restaurant, The Kelley Farm Kitchen, takes advantage of all that nature provides on its lush farmland, an on-the-job police sergeant who appreciates history and laments more people don’t know it, and a borough employee, Karissa, who probably has more pride, knowledge and appreciation of her job, the people she works for and with, than just about businessman in town. There was also a pretty terrific retired border patrol agent who doesn’t really want to talk about what’s happening at our borders today and is about to make a major decision in his own life now, all of which taught me more than anyone else I met in four days learning, enjoying , walking, and trying new things.

It also meant staying at the Harpers Ferry Guest House, a cozy, comfortable and immaculately kept B&B run by Cathy and Bryan where even the names of the individual rooms bring smiles…for me, the Chickadee Room had paintings of this chirpy and happy looking little bird on the door.

It meant visiting Jefferson’s Rock more than once for the breathtaking view, walking roads that make the hills of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands look like practice runs for Harpers Ferry, walking a piece of the Appalachian Trail as well as walking from West Virginia to Maryland, and hunting down the burial place of the lone US Marine who was killed when John Brown decided to take the world in his own hands.

It also meant talking with Judy, a great volunteer at the Appalachian Trail Visitor Center who actually walked the entire more than 2100 miles of the Trail when she was in her 50s, and learning about Bill Irwin, one of the world’s most courageous souls who did the trail from Georgia to Maine when he was blind, accompanied only by his dog.

There was a lot of adventure, a lot of wonderful people, a lot of education, great food, great fun and admiration for many people packed into three days and two train rides, all to be covered in several articles because there is so much to say about it all.

Amtrak never fails. It’s easy to get from Middletown to Newark’s Penn Station….not every long-distance train stops at Metropark…by New Jersey Transit and then just checking the up-to-date boards to locate the correct time, and track for the Northeast Regional train to Washington. Then it’s a short wait in the handsomely re-done and refurbished Union Station to hop on the Capitol Limited, one of Amtrak’s fleet that stops 70 minutes later at Harpers Ferry.

Once past Washington, the view is practically all forests, trees, and this time of year, colorful flowers and bushes before the train travels through a mountain pulling into the historic Harpers Ferry railroad station, the first of many museums highlighting so many different aspects of this little but very friendly town.

Enroute home, it’s just as easy and beautiful, though Amtrak allows a couple of hours for connecting trips should the Capitol Limited, stopping at Harpers Ferry enroute from Chicago, be delayed. That gives you the option for a couple of hours in the nation’s Capital or simply switching your ticket for another Washington to New Jersey local; or, if you really want to get home in a hurry, even the Acela.

The Harpers Ferry station of course is at the lowest end of the town, with shops and restaurants and National Park Service historic areas as well as the first of their museums at that level, then the start of those very steep and exceptionally long hills to more historic sites and great restaurants and residences in the higher elevations.

If you stay at Brian and Cathy’s Guest House, however, it only takes a phone call to let Cathy know the train is in and a two minute wait until she’s there in the parking lot, ready to take you to the Harper’s Ferry Guest House, where comfortable chairs, a ready fire pit and more great views are waiting on a raised porch in the courtyard with even more spectacular views, and the very private and secure entry to …yes, more stairs….the third floor rooms in your home away from home for several days.

Once settled, you have the time to check out the books in your bedroom bookcase and an even larger supply in the foyer bookcase and whet your appetite for the innkeeper’s own love of history. You can scan the supply of maps and brief descriptions of all that’s available within walking (if you’re sturdy and love it) or driving to everything from restaurants and guest houses, campgrounds and hotels to the National Park Service grounds. There are addresses and phone numbers for shops for pottery, health and body goods, pottery, clothing, jewelry, accessories, ghost tours, escape adventures and outfitters for biking and hiking. There’s more information on things more distant, including a toy train museum, zip-lining, and wineries.

None of which is necessary if you simply want to enjoy all of what Harpers Ferry has to offer. My personal goal was to visit Jefferson’s Rock, the rock at the top of a mountain named for the President who stood on top and proclaimed it more beautiful than visiting Europe.

Harpers Ferry

Some other stories of my travels HERE (Mostly by train, and mostly solo!)